The project has called for approximately 1.2 million tons of asphalt, along with 900,000 tons of stone; 1.45 million cu. yds. of soil; and 50,000 cu. yds. of concrete.
(NCDOT photo)
In the Tar Heel state, crews responsible for widening Interstate 40 from southeast Raleigh to Clayton are marking a major milestone. The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) has been monitoring the multi-year, $360 million project since work began in 2018.
"The opening of lanes from I-440 to U.S. 70 Bypass in April provides at least two additional lanes in each direction and eliminates a longtime bottleneck that existed where three lanes dropped to two on I-40 East just past the Business 70 exit in Garner," said Aaron Moody, NCDOT public information officer. "The final four miles of the widening project, from U.S. 70 to Cornwallis Road, and the overhaul of the NC 42 interchange are scheduled to be complete in late summer 2024."
Until now, traffic along the 9-mi. stretch has been restricted to two lanes in each direction, with barrier wall used to shift and separate the travel lanes from those being worked on. All 13 mi. of roadway serve communities in Wake and Johnston counties, connecting the region to I-95.
"An estimated 35.6 million vehicles traveled the roadway in 2015, causing congestion and frequent delays, especially in the morning and afternoon rush hours," said Moody. "Traffic is projected to increase 65 percent by 2040. Conditions will only worsen, especially around the I-40/N.C. 42 interchange, an area that's booming in residential and commercial growth.
"Widening from two to three lanes to four to five lanes in each direction and improving interchanges along this stretch will help ease congestion and delays, make travel safer throughout this heavily traveled area and better accommodate traffic due to future growth."
The section of I-40 is one of the primary beach routes for people in and west of the Triangle area and passes through one of the fastest growing areas in the state in Johnston County. Moody explained that maintaining staff has been an issue during construction, along with competing for resources with other projects, as well as communicating to the public the progress being made that isn't always visible. Dealing with motorists also is a challenge.
"With the amount of daily traffic passing through the work zone, the project must be prepared to complete nighttime work promptly, to remove traffic control devices each morning to ensure a safe work zone. The volume also limits the scheduling options for the contractor, restricts hauling of materials to and from the project and increases the amount of time to safely complete operations. Traffic shifts throughout the project take significant planning to ensure their success."
Workers are tackling paving, median barrier wall construction, the diverging diamond interchange at NC 42, opening the new interchange at Cleveland School Road and constructing the diverging diamond interchange at Jones Sausage Road. Other tasks include the widening of NC 42, grading between NC 42 and Cornwallis Road on I-40 and miscellaneous signage, signals, fiber and water/sewer work that has not been completed.
Moody noted that new flyover bridges at the I-40/I-440 interchange opened in December 2020.
"The contractor is working on wider/longer bridges at the Rock Quarry Road overpass and the U.S. 70 Business interchange [exit 306]. Diverging diamond interchanges will be added to the Jones Sausage Road [exit 303] and N.C. 42 [exit 312] interchanges."
Moody said inclement weather also is a factor during construction.
"We've had a significant amount of rain during the winter, as well as heavy storms we received over the fall and summer. The storms increase the amount of erosion control response and often delays paving, grading and stone operations."
As for site work, said Moody, "S.T. Wooten constructed a temporary ramp from a bridge on East Garner Road to facilitate hauling operations in the median of I-40. This ramp allowed more than 21,000 truckloads of material to be delivered directly to the median without having to access I-40. By doing this, the contractor was able to continue hauling during times of higher traffic volume, but without the impact to the driving public.
"Excavation on N.C. 42 has been extremely challenging, due to the constraints along the corridor. A significant number of utilities had to be relocated and access must be maintained to businesses at all times. The amount of traffic is equivalent to portions of the interstate in North Carolina. Along I-40, excavations had to occur around traffic shifts, to complete operations."
The project has called for approximately 1.2 million tons of asphalt, along with 900,000 tons of stone; 1.45 million cu. yds. of soil; and 50,000 cu. yds. of concrete.
A Komatsu 360 excavator with hammer attachment; JLG manlifts; and a Cat D5K2 LGP dozer have been required on site, along with a Cat 318 rubber tire excavator; a Hamm smooth steel drum roller; a Cat rubber tire loader; a John Deere 135G mini-track excavator; a Volvo smooth drum roller; a BOMAG 5500 trench packers; and a Cat 330 excavator.
Other heavy machinery includes a Komatsu WA 250 front-end loader; a Kubota KX040-4 mini-excavator; a Cat 326 trackhoe; a Case 210EX trackhoe; a Komatsu PC210 LC excavator; a Komatsu PC228US LC excavator; a SANY SY215C LC excavator; a TimberPro TTL745C tree cutter with Quadco cutter attachment; a Cat 320D L excavator; a Vermeer HG6000TX grinder; a Komatsu PC 360 LC track excavator; a Kobelco SK 350 with hoe ram; and a Deere 135G excavator.
Moody said the hours can be long, but seeing the continued progress is extremely encouraging.
"It's very rewarding to see the project cross major milestones like the recent opening of new lanes on the northern, longer portion of the project. People are excited to get a taste of the final product and get to their destinations faster." CEG
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